BMW vs Volkswagen:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Volkswagen had more branded searches than BMW among car brands in Australia. Volkswagen had about 141,000 branded searches, while BMW had 97,700. Volkswagen made up 2.2% of all car brand searches we track, and BMW accounted for 1.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car brands, BMW and Volkswagen each appeared in one of the five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Volkswagen, about 44% more searches than BMW
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 1 of 5 answers.
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Top car brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, BMW and Volkswagen were each mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Toyota5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Hyundai5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
BYD4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Kia3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Ford3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Mazda2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Tesla2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Honda2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Volkswagen1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
BMW1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about car brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which car should I buy in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the most reliable car brands in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What is the best SUV to buy in Australia?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“car brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“new car”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 26, 2026.
Is BMW or Volkswagen more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for BMW and Volkswagen by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 57 car brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.
Share of searches by month for Volkswagen, BMW. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Toyota | BYD | Mitsubishi | Mazda | Kia | Tesla | Ford | Hyundai | Subaru | Honda | Nissan | Porsche | Zeekr | Geely | Suzuki | Volkswagen | BMW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 13.4% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 5% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 4% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3% | 0.69% | 0.48% | 3% | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| Nov 2025 | 13.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 4.9% | 3.3% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.1% | 0.72% | 0.52% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 13.4% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 2.9% | 0.76% | 0.53% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 13.6% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 5.8% | 5.4% | 3.1% | 4.8% | 4.5% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 0.81% | 0.57% | 3% | 2.4% | 1.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 13.1% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 0.86% | 0.91% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| Mar 2026 | 11.8% | 9.8% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 6% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 1.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 11.6% | 9% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1.5% | 2.5% | 2% | 1.7% |
| May 2026 | 12.1% | 7% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.4% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3% | 2.9% | 2.2% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Jun 2026 | 12.3% | 6.3% | 4.6% | 5% | 4.9% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 12.5% | 6% | 4.2% | 5.4% | 5% | 3.5% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Aug 2026 | 12.5% | 5.9% | 4.2% | 5.5% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 11.4% | 6.5% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
How has the BMW and Volkswagen comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Volkswagen was ahead of BMW in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BMW’s share of searches among car brands in Australia moved from 1.7% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 118K to 97.7K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Volkswagen’s share of searches among car brands in Australia moved from 2.5% to 2.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 175K to 141K.
How did search popularity change for Australia car brands in September 2026?
4 changes
In September 2026, Zeekr overtook Suzuki and Volkswagen to rank 13th among car brands in Australia, with 2.5% of the searches.
In September 2026, Geely overtook Suzuki and Volkswagen to rank 14th among car brands in Australia, with 2.4% of the searches.
In September 2026, BMW fell from 19th to 20th among car brands in Australia.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Volkswagen in Australia fell 19.9% over 12 measured months, from 175K to 141K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
11 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BMW’s and Volkswagen’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
BMW
3 branded search terms
- bmw
- bmw cars
- bmw ix
Volkswagen
8 branded search terms
- volkswagen amarok
- volkswagen caddy
- volkswagen cars
- volkswagen golf
- volkswagen polo
- volkswagen t roc
- volkswagen tiguan
- vw
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